(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to battery powered lighting devices. More specifically, the subject matter disclosed relates to compact and conformable battery powered lighting devices capable of adopting various shapes in order to orient lighting from the light source in a selected direction.
(b) Related Prior Art
Many types of portable battery powered lighting devices are known in the art, some being usable to assist a worker in performing a task while ambient light does not provide sufficient luminosity over a specific work zone. Some of the lighting devices are provided with attaching means to keep user's hands free, for example, some are attachable to a helmet or headband (i.e., helmet or headband of a fireman, a miner, a doctor, etc.) to follow the direction of sight of the wearer.
In some cases, the working space is very tight and hardly accessible by a light beam emitted from a lighting device at a distance. It may be difficult or impossible to bring the lighting device within the working space and have the light beam appropriately oriented. Such a situation may be experienced for instance by surgeons, performing a surgery in a compact and deep cavity of an animal or human body.
Few devices have been provided in the prior art to help improve lighting in such conditions.
More than often, such lighting devices fail to provide a truly flexible and dependable light source for illuminating different types of deep and restricted locations. For example, some devices are not adapted to attach to other tools or objects to reach different cavities and provide no flexibility for light beam reorientation with respect to the device's body. Some other lighting devices are not attachable and/or comprise parts (i.e., the one or more batteries and/or the light source itself) that may become loose and be lost (about or within the body cavities), and has no provision for adjustment of the light beam orientation.
None of the prior art devices provides, at the same time, easy and conformable wrapping around a medical device, and flexible light beam reorientation by the user without moving the device body or repositioning attachment, without providing parts that can become loose and be lost about or within the body cavities.
There is therefore a need for an improved lighting device that overcomes the drawbacks of the lighting devices of the prior art.